Advantages

Disadvantages

a DARN good needle set (haha!)

Product description: "John James Pebbles are designed to store the finest quality hand sewing needles safely, with a quick flip lid making them instantly visible and easily accessible in a sewing box, craft bag, or even a handbag. Each needle type comes in its own elegant and distinctive colour Pebble for quick identification."

The Pebble range of needles covers a variety of different needle types and would be a fantastic item for many different types of crafting. I think it's a neat touch to have the needle types come in different colours, so if you have several types for different crafts, then you would be able to identify which one is which without getting them mixed up. I have managed to find these online for just £2.00 a piece, including: Darning needles pack of 12, Embroidery needles pack of 16, Tapestry needles pack of 6, Assorted Household pack of 12, Chenille pack of 6, Beading pack of 4, Quilting pack of 16, Sharps pack of 16.

One of my main hobbies and interests is knitting. I am a keen knitter and have a little collection of gadgets and accessories that are necessary for assisting me in my creations. One thing every knitter needs is a set of needles for sewing pieces of knitting together, and for sewing in the ends where you have joined balls of wool together. Unlike your typical sewing needles which are small and very sharply pointed, knitters require a different kind of needle, known as either yarn needles or darning needles. They have a blunt tip and a larger eye section. As yarn is a lot thicker than thread, the eye needs to be bigger to accommodate the thickness of the yarn. It also helps to have a blunt point so that the needle does not split through any of the knitted stitches when you are seaming sections together.

I received a Pebble needle set as a free gift with a knitting magazine that I bought ages ago. I thought that it was an excellent little bonus and would certainly prove to be a handy piece of kit. The design of the Pebble is very attractive and functional. The top section of the Pebble is made of clear plastic, and the bottom section of the Pebble is made of a coloured plastic that will correspond to the type of needles that it contains. It is a reasonably large oval shape so that you can use it without having to fiddle around, but it's still small enough to fit into my little sewing kit that I carry around with my knitting projects. It has a hinged lid which folds open and then clips back into place to stay shut. The needles are slotted into small holes in the middle of the Pebble, and are held firmly so they are not at risk of slipping and becoming dislodged. I think this design is particularly clever, as it ensures a high level of safety. Even though the needles are nearly blunt, you still wouldn't want to get stabbed in the hand by one if you're trying to remove it from the packaging, and this innovative Pebble structure keeps the needles held safely in place as well as allowing you to remove them one by one when necessary, and you can simply close the lid back down to protect the rest of the needles when they are not in use.

The needles are easy to use as they are designed specifically for the purpose of being used with knitting and yarn rather than to sew fabric with thread. They are strong and easy to grip onto when sewing, and have smooth rounded sides which are comfortable to hold between my fingers. The Pebble Darning needle set is an invaluable piece of kit that I use with every single knitted piece that I make. I can thoroughly recommend it as the needles do exactly what is needed and I use them constantly! The design of the Pebble holder is a really great idea and this sets the needles apart from others that I have bought previously, which come on a cardboard backing with a little piece of plastic covering the front. In my experience these can easily come loose and get lost, which is really not safe and is highly frustrating when I need to find one! The solution there is to have a little tin, or buy a needle book to store the needles, but I find that these are not very effective as the points of the needles are still exposed, and with the Pebble the sharp end is safely tucked away as well as being easy to retrieve as they are positioned so that they can be removed quickly and easily.

Pebble needle sets are available in a selection of types to suit any crafter, and are an essential addition to your crafting tool kit. I wouldn't be without mine as it makes my life a lot easier and allows me to relax with my favourite hobby. An innovative design that is simple but really works.